Thanks Kate
by Cendari
Summary: PostTwilight. Post Season 5 premiere. After being left alone in his apartment, Tony needs some help coming to terms with how far he went for the job.
1. Thanks Kate

**Author's Notes:** I don't quite know where this came from. I wanted to write a postTwilight piece featuring Tony and some of the guys from JAG, and this is what came out over the past few hours (It's after 3:30am right now). Either way, enjoy and pleae review.

**Summary: **It's one year after The Death, and Tony has come to say his last goodbyes to Kate.

**Disclaimer:** I own NOTHING! Not Tony, Kate, Gibbs, or anybody else from NCIS, any of the guys from JAG, and definitely not Professor Dumbledore! Darn it.

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**Thanks Kate** _Part 1 of 1_

The adjoining plots in the Columbia Gardens Cemetery had been quietly purchased one day in mid-June. The only reason that salesperson remembered selling the plots was because the youngish man had insisted that they be near Arlington National Cemetery, and because there was a look in his eyes that caused the middle-aged David Smythe a great deal of worry:

He looked broken. The polite man who had merely flashed a tiny smile at the receptionist reminded David of a diamond that had a tiny hairline stress fracture appear in the very heart of it. It was why David hadn't protested when the young man had made his unusual request. Young people in their early thirties weren't supposed to be worrying about things like their own mortality, and since he looked to be the picture of perfect health, David could only assume that he had lost somebody close to him suddenly and brutally.

When they were done, the man thanked David quietly and showed himself out.

David Smythe hoped that he wouldn't see young Anthony DiNozzo's coffin for a long, long time to come.

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At the end of September, a gravestone appeared on the left plot. Aside from the fact that it had been carved out of black marble, it was simple and square, and the men who placed it found themselves pausing for a moment to reflect on what it said. It was rumored that the person it had been intended for had been buried out of the state, but her friends and family nearby had wanted something they could visit everyday if they wanted to. Either way, they were paid to laid the gravestones and not gossip on who was or wasn't supposed to be laid beneath them.

Throughout the fall and winter seasons, the gravestone only had one visitor: a dark-haired man in his early thirties who brought a single red rose and laid it at the base of the headstone. He rarely stayed longer than a few minutes, but the cemetery's female staff often remarked on the gorgeous man who always looked so solemn when he arrived and left with a hint of a smile on his face.

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On the first anniversary of The Death, Tony DiNozzo called in sick to the office, unsurprised to hear a new level of gruffness in Gibbs' voice as he was reminded of the memorial party Abby and Ducky had organized for that evening and had told Gibbs that he was hosting, case or no case. Gibbs told Tony that he was expected to be in extra early the next day, a caveat Tony agreed to without argument.

Tony's first stop of the day was the florist's where he picked up a dozen red roses, plus one. His next was the warehouse near Norfolk where Kate's life had been stolen. He placed a single flower in the exact spot where she'd been killed and stared at the stain her blood had created in the concrete with his hands buried in his pockets. After an hour-long vigil, Tony straightened with a weary sigh and left without a backward glance.

Tony wasn't sure what his feelings for Kate were. He knew he loved her, that much was certain, but he didn't know if it was the platonic love like he shared with Abby, or if it was the forever kind of love that featured prominently in her movie collection. A year after she'd been taken from them he still wasn't sure, but he would have appreciated the chance to find out.

With an exhausted swipe of his hand across his eyes, Tony quickly nixed that train of thought. He'd been kept up all night with nightmares, centering around Kate and that goddamned Ari. In one, he'd been the one stabbed with a scalpel – not instantly fatal, oh no – and as he lay in a quickly spreading pool of his own blood, watching helplessly as Kate screamed, Ari had lifted Tony's own Sig Sauer and shot her square between the eyes. He'd been forced to watch as her eyes went from horrified to glazed over with death in an instant and Ari had stood by and laughed when it became Tony's turn to scream. And that wasn't the worst of them.

Tony suppressed a shudder at the remembered horror and tried to nip that train of thought in the bud as well. As Professor Dumbledore had wisely said, "_It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live_."

His next and last stop of the day was at the Columbia Gardens Cemetery, and, roses in hand, he walked the well-remembered path to the plot and headstone that he had paid for out of his trust fund – a source of money left to him by a beloved grandmother, and one his father couldn't touch. Tony had refused to touch the money for years, except to buy himself a new car, but to use it to honor her memory seemed like a better idea.

He laid the twelve roses – one for every month she'd been gone – at the base of the headstone and read the inscription once more. He'd agonized for days over the exact wording and it had suddenly come to him in a burst of inspiration that he just _knew_ she had something to do with.

_In Loving Memory of _

_Special Agent Caitlin Todd_

_1977-2005_

_Killed in the Line of Duty,_

_Her Light was stolen from us too soon._

_Her sacrifice will never be forgotten._

_Rest in Peace, Kate,_

_We'll take it from here._

"Hi, Kate," he said quietly. "It's been a hell of a year, hasn't it?" For an instant, he thought he saw her perched on top of the headstone, legs primly crossed so he couldn't peek up the skirt of her demure business suit, smiling impishly at him, with that soft exasperated look she reserved solely for him. "I miss you, Kate. There are days that I'll be reporting to Gibbs and I'll turn to get your input or to listen to whatever smart-ass remark you've come up with, and you're not there, and I have to remind myself that you'll never make fun of me again." He sighed, a smile briefly crossing his lips as the memory of all the times she had made fun of him crossed his brain in a little parade. "I never thought I'd miss that, but I do. Ziva's okay in her own way, but she doesn't understand me, not like you did."

Tony was silent for a few minutes, deep in his own memories, so it was no surprise that he didn't hear the people approaching until there was a voice behind him: "Is this a private party, or can anyone join?"

Startled, Tony spun, hand automatically going to his gun before he recognized the group of people before him. Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts and his wife, Harriet, headed up the sizable contingent of people all in dress uniform. Beyond them, he recognized Captain Harm Rabb, Jr., and his new wife, Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie-Rabb, Commander Sturgis Turner, Retired Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden, Petty Officer Jennifer Coates, and a few more faces that he recognized but couldn't put names to at the moment. They all carried a single pink rose.

Hand-in-hand, the Robertses moved forward slowly. "We're sorry we couldn't make it to the funeral last year, things were a little crazy around the office."

In a little daze, Tony shook their hands and accepted the kiss Harriet pressed to his cheek. He turned to watch as they solemnly placed their roses next to the ones he had laid down and retreated a few steps.

The Rabbs were next; Tony spared a glance for the gleaming wedding set on the Colonel's left hand and summoned up a genuine smile for them. "I'd heard. Congratulations." He paused, considering, then added, "And, uh, no hard feelings about that whole, trying to get you convicted of murder thing, right?"

Rabb threw back his head and laughed, extending his hand to be shaken. "No, no hard feelings. You were only doing your job; I can't fault you for that. I'm only sorry I made everything so difficult for you to glean the truth."

"Well, you thought you were protecting somebody that needed it. I can't blame you for the sentiment, but the actions need a little work."

Rabb chuckled again. "True enough." Mackenzie shook Tony's hand as well, and he graciously accepted the kiss she placed on his cheek as well.

"My condolences," Turner said. "She was a hell of an agent."

"She was a hell of woman, period," Tony corrected.

"That she was." Turner moved off to join his friends, and Tony quietly greeted the rest of the people who had come to pay their respects to a woman who had been killed protecting their brethren.

The JAGs stood in a straight line, facing the headstone, and saluted it in unison. From not to far away, a single bugler played the slow, mournful notes of Taps. As the last note faded into silence, the military personnel relaxed and moved forward, one-by-one and in pairs, to gently touch the headstone and softly thank her for all she had done, both for them, personally and professionally, and for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Not ten minutes after they'd arrived, the JAGs left, each shaking Tony's hand and whispering their condolences. Soon, only Bud, Harriet, Rabb, and Mackenzie remained. Rabb handed him a business card with phone numbers and an address. "We expect you to stay in touch," Mackenzie admonished teasingly. "Whatever you need, day or night, even if it's just somebody to talk to, you call." Bud handed him another card and repeated the sentiment.

"Thank you," Tony said. It was the only thing he could say, really, what with the way his throat was closing up. "You didn't have to come all the way from London," he added to Rabb and Mackenzie after a moment.

"We would have been in Indiana for the actual funeral," Mackenzie replied, "but unfortunately life interfered."

"Doesn't it always?" Tony asked rhetorically.

"Take care of yourself," they told him, and left as quietly as they'd arrived.

Tony turned back to face the headstone and smiled genuinely. He had a party to crash. Maybe he'd freak Gibbs out and plant a lit candle under his boat for old times' sake.

She appeared again, perched on top like before, for only a tiny instant. "I don't know how you did it, Kate. But thanks."

Tony read the inscribed words once more and turned away, back towards the cemetery entrance. Phantom fingers entwined with his and he felt a whisper of a kiss ghost across his cheek. Her amused chuckle followed him across the lawn and he knew it wasn't just his imagination when she called after him, "I've always got your six, Tony."

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Tony saw her frequently over the years – usually when he was about to do something stupid and foolhardy. Sometimes she appeared while he was interrogating a suspect, sometimes in Abby's lab, sometimes in the squad room, but every time she pointed out something that would bring all the pieces together and everything would become clear. He knew part of the reason she was doing it was to better help him irritate Ziva. He caught her making faces at the Mossad officer more than once, and she always laughed and faded away.

However much she helped with the brainwork, Kate always saved Tony's ass in the field. More than once, she pointed out where the crazies with the ugly weapons were hiding. Some days she appeared and would watch with amusement as they searched a suspect's house, looking for that crucial piece of physical evidence that would tie everything together, while he ignored her, intent on finding it for himself. On the rare occasion that he actually did manage to find it without her help she always stayed long enough to grin proudly and give him a thumbs-up.

Either way, he never discredited her advice.

On the second anniversary of her death she appeared in his living room, a place she'd never before ventured. With a stomach full of beer – his lousy attempt at cauterizing the re-opened wound – he asked her why she hadn't simply moved on, rested in peace, whatever. The only person who deserved that more than her was Gibbs, after all. She'd given him that patented look of hers, like he was the dumbest thing on the planet for asking, and simply responded, "I'm needed here. It's as simple as that."

It took a while, but Tony eventually stopped looking for her everywhere. She was around, keeping his back, and that became enough. She never stayed long enough for a conversation – in fact, she rarely spoke at all. But, no matter what, every time he thanked her, her translucent fingers would gently trace his cheek and ghostly lips would place a kiss on his forehead. She always said the same thing:

"I've always got your six, Tony."

And she did.

**FIN**


	2. Different Roads

**Summary:** It's Christmas time, and spending all that time with Jeanne has been making Tony consider what might have been if Kate hadn't been killed.

**Author's Notes:** A somewhat belated Christmas entry that could be considered a follow-up "Thanks, Kate", but should still stand on its own. It was mostly inspired by the song, "What Might Have Been", by Little Texas, which is beautiful despite the fact that it was recorded by a country group. (And before you go flaming me for dissing the country singers, let me explain: when I was younger, my mother had a stereo system in the living room of our house set as an alarm clock and it was ALWAYS set at the local country station, which sucked. After having music you don't like blasted into your ears at 7 in the morning, you tend to develop a pretty violent dislike, which has, admittedly, mellowed some over the years.) ANYWAY... you can find the song on YouTube, take a listen.

I tried to keep it from getting too shippy as the reviewers for "Thanks Kate" seemed to be quite pleased that I worked very hard to stay on the fence, but I'm not sure how well I suceeded this time. On with the show...

**Disclaimer:** DPB, CBS, and Paramount own the sandbox, I'm just playing in it for a bit. I promise I'll try to leave them in the same condition I found them, Mr. DPB, sir.

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**Different Roads (1/1)**

Tony DiNozzo slouched into the squad room late Christmas Eve. After having dinner with the JAG staff, and going to Commander Turner's father's sermon, he'd found himself at loose ends and his car had steered itself to NCIS headquarters. Jeanne had gone to spend the holidays with her family at his insistence – though she hadn't been happy about it – and Tony hadn't spent a single Christmas with his family since he'd gotten into college.

Tony slung his outdoor jacket around the back of his chair and plopped into the seat. He turned on the desk lamp and booted up his computer before reaching for the ever-present stacks of paperwork and cold case files. If anybody asked, he was simply there because criminals didn't take time off for the holidays, and it wouldn't be the first time they got called on a case on Christmas morning.

He slogged away for a few hours, getting up occasionally to refill his coffee cup, and eventually leaned back in his chair as exhaustion finally took its toll. Tony yawned and his eyes slid shut, breathing pattern slowing and deepening, and his last conscious thought was that he'd just close his eyes for a few minutes.

* * *

Tony jerked awake at the sound of the surf pounding onto the beach and blinked blearily at his surroundings, taking into account his limited range as he was lying on his stomach on a beach blanket with his head pillowed on his crossed arms. "Did I miss anything?" he asked the feminine presence at his side. 

There was a familiar yawn as the head resting on his shoulder shifted, looking for a more comfortable position since he'd tensed and shifted. "No. Remind me why we wanted to lie on the beach to watch the sun rise?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time?" Tony offered, twisting around to smile at Kate as she lifted her head to look at him. The quickly lightening sky allowed him to drink in her tired eyes, sleepy smile, and tousled hair and his heart clenched at the sight.

"Yeah, well, the next time you come up with a "brilliant" idea, I reserve the right to veto it," Kate muttered as her eyes slowly closed and her head dropped back to rest on his shoulder.

The tightness in his chest loosened a bit and he pressed a kiss to her dark curls."So, I've been wondering: why Panama City?"

"It's one place we've both been that doesn't have any negative connotations associated with it; each time we were here, we were happy. Any place else has work associations."

"Ah." He waited a beat and then gently shifted the shoulder she'd claimed. "Head up." She complied, he turned over onto his back, and she resettled herself with an arm wrapped around his waist for good measure.

"You know, it's probably a good thing I never realized what a good pillow you make," she commented. Though he couldn't see her face, Tony could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah, good thing," he agreed. He stared up at the sky for several minutes, mostly working up the nerve to ask her something that had been bothering him for a long time. "Hey, Kate?"

"Yeah, Tony?"

"You ever wonder…?"

"Wonder what, Tony? I'm not a mind reader."

"What might have happened between us, if things hadn't gone the way they had? We never really had a chance to define what it is that we have."

"I don't know, Tony; we'll never know. I have a few theories, however, as to what might have happened if we'd tried a relationship: number one, we'd kill each other; number two, we'd realize that we were meant to be friends and coworkers and just move on; or number three, that we'd be happy. Either way, try not to think about it, Tony. That was then, and this is now. Besides, I actually like Jeanne!" she finished, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

"Me, too."

"I know I loved you, Tony. I wasn't in love with you, but I don't think it would have taken much to go that extra step."

"I loved you, too, Kate." She looked at him for a second, and then leaned forward and kissed him. It was pure comfort; tenderness, love, and healing wrapped up in two sets of lips. There was a second at the start when the sparks started flying but they kept it chaste only through extreme use of will-power.

The sun broke over the horizon as Kate tugged Tony to his feet, allowing him the opportunity to take in and admire her apple-green two-piece swimsuit. "Let's walk."

Their hands naturally entwined as they strolled down the sandy beach, and they talked about everything and nothing, including Tony's new girlfriend. "You really like her?" he asked.

"She's good for you. I have to admit to missing the X-rated Peter Pan who would make my days an exercise in anger management, but I like the new, more mature you."

"Geez, Kate, you don't have to make it sound like I'm schizophrenic or anything."

Her eyes rolled as she shoved him. "You know what I mean," she groused.

He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles in apology. Farther down the beach, she stopped, turned, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tony enfolded her in his embrace and rested his chin on the top of her shining head. "Tony, I want you, no, _need_ you to know that I'll always be here, no matter what."

Tony tensed as the knot in his chest tightened again. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you, too, Tony. And now it's time for you to wake up. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Kate. And thanks."

As his world turned white, he heard her say clearly, "I've always got your six, Tony."

* * *

Tony bolted upright in his office chair, surprising Ziva and Gibbs with the abrupt movement. Tony gave them a wide-eyed look that spoke of his equal surprise, but he rallied quickly and flashed a smile. "Morning, Boss, Ziva." 

"Happy Christmas, Tony," Ziva said.

"Merry Christmas, Ziva. Merry Christmas, Boss."

"Bah, humbug," Gibbs grouched.

As soon as their attention was diverted elsewhere, Tony took the opportunity to rub his eyes and wonder if maybe his subconscious had gone off the deep end. Just as he came to the conclusion that he'd gone insane overnight, Kate appeared before him, dressed in her apple-green bikini and a gentle smile on her face.

He allowed himself thirty seconds – okay, maybe it was closer to a full minute – to consider what might have been. When he was done, he bundled it all up and buried it in the deepest corner of his mind, right alongside his memories of his childhood, and all the cases where innocent kids were victimized in some way. That chapter in his life was over now, and it was time to take the bookmark out; he still had Kate, and always would if she was to be believed, to keep him out of trouble, and it had to be enough.

"Thanks, Kate."

"I've always got your six, Tony."

And she did.

**FIN**

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Please review! Even though I have no need to use external means to keep warm this winter (I LOVE GLOBAL WARMING!!!), I'll use the flames to light my sister's stupid boyfriend's hair on fire. 

Cen )


	3. Empty Spaces

**Author's Notes: **Okay, so this is an _extremely _late post-ep for the season premiere. I'd had the plot bunny hopping around in my head for a while, but this was the first time I could get it to sit still long enough to actually get it down and decide how to handle it. It feels pretty melancholy, but I figured that Tony would have to have a decent amount of "alone" time to bounce back so quickly.

**Summary:** After Ziva leaves him alone in his apartment, Tony needs help coming to terms with the fact that he broke the heart of a woman that loved him.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned NCIS, I would've had Kate simply transfer to another department/agency/etc. And I _never_ would have let Tony sleep with Ziva. Ick.

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**Empty Spaces (1/1)**

For a long time after Ziva left, Tony sat on his couch with his head in his hands. As used to having the shit hit the fan as he was, the speed with which things had gone downhill continued to astonish him. He had read the note, already knowing what it said; "_Don't come looking for me; Goodbye; I'm sorry I ever met you..._"

Abruptly, Tony stood up and headed for his bedroom. After a long shower, he dressed and briefly contemplated digging all of his personal pictures out of the cleverly hidden safe in his closet, where he had stashed them at the beginning of his relation-... assignment.

Not a relationship, an assignment. Right.

Tony blew out a long breath. He had to get out of there. He pocketed his wallet and keys, and grabbed his badge and weapon as an afterthought. He locked the apartment door as he left and forwent the elevator for the stairs.

Since his car had been blown up while on assignment, the Director had given him the use of an agency car. While not as nice as his meticulously restored classic Mustang, or the shiny Magnum Gibbs got to drive, it was far from being the clunker he was afraid of. Tony climbed into the driver's seat, closed the door, put his seatbelt on, turned the ignition, and leaned forward to rest his forehead on the steering wheel.

"Tony."

Getting his raging emotions back under control, he straightened and put the car into gear, pulling out of his parking space smoothly. "Not yet. Please."

He had left home, just intending to take a drive, but the car seemed to steer itself over to Columbia Gardens Cemetery. Tony acquiesced and headed inside the cemetery, his feet walking the familiar route by memory. Standing in front of the headstone, he stared at it for a second, trying to find the words he needed. "All right, Kate."

She appeared, beautiful and transparent as always, sitting on the headstone, eyes dark with concern. "I'm sorry, Tony."

"Why? 'S not your fault I screwed up."

"Tony..."

"I honestly cared for her, Kate. That's how I screwed up. I let myself care for her, and forgot about my assignment, and thought that she might still want to be with me despite knowing that I lied to her for months, Kate. _Months!_"

She hopped off the headstone and came to stand in front of him. He closed his eyes when she reached up and gently caressed his cheek. "Oh, Tony."

They stood in silence for several minutes, her trying to comfort him the only way she could, and him letting her. Finally, he sighed deeply and took a small step back. "If you're here to kill me, go ahead!" he called into the darkness.

"Tony?"

The achingly familiar voice had him spinning on the spot with surprise. "Jeanne? What are you doing here?"

"I followed you."

"I know that; I just thought you were one of your father's many friends come to finish the job. I'm going to end up here, figured it was as good a place as any to die."

She looked taken aback at his candid morbidness. "I, uh..."

Tony shook his head and stretched out a hand to her. "Come on. Since you're here, you might as well meet one of the most important women in my life." She blinked for a few seconds, but let herself be drawn to him nonetheless. "Jeanne, I'd like you to meet Caitlin Todd."

Obviously feeling a little self-conscious, Jeanne nodded at the headstone. "Hello." She turned questioning eyes on the man who had betrayed her. "Who...?"

Tony's jaw clenched for a moment as that awful moment played itself over again in his mind. "Kate was my partner. She was killed a little over two years ago, on the job, by a sniper. She was my best friend." He visibly collected himself and looked at Kate, sitting on the headstone once more, watching him with sad eyes. "Anyway, I come to talk to her when I've had a bad day, or a bad case. She helps me put things into perspective."

Jeanne put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tony."

"Why? You weren't the cowardly psychopath who pulled the trigger."

She watched him steadily until his turned to look at her, meeting her gaze evenly. "You loved her." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

It was his turn to watch her as she digested that piece of information. "But you..."

"Loving Kate... Losing Kate, brought out a side of me that I've never let anybody see. Until I met you."

"But you _lied_ to me!"

"Yes, I did. I'm not sorry for doing my job," Tony said evenly, "but I am sorry that my boss involved you."

"Well, that's something, I suppose," Jeanne responded, maybe a little bitterly.

"You'll be all right, Jeanne." She looked up to find him watching her, his beautiful blue-green eyes sincere.

She sighed and squeezed his arm. "So will you."

"So, where will you go?"

Jeanne eyed him with no little exasperation. "I don't know. Please don't try to find me."

"I can't guarantee that my boss won't, but you have my word that I won't. I can't promise any more than that."

"I guess it'll have to do." They were silent for several moments before she stirred. "I should go."

"Take care of yourself, Jeanne."

Despite everything he'd put her through, she found herself stepping into his arms for a quick hug. "You too, Tony."

She was several steps away when he called after her. "Be careful. Your father has a lot of friends, and even more enemies."

"I will. Goodbye, Tony."

"Goodbye, Jeanne." Tony lifted his hand to wave, a gesture she returned before turning and disappearing into the darkness.

Once he was sure she was gone, Tony stepped forward to sit on the headstone beside Kate. "God," he breathed, scarily close to crying, something he hadn't done before or since that after that awful day, while he was in the shower, frantically trying to scrub Kate's blood off his face, and out of his hair, and mouth, and nose, and... And he'd suddenly realized that she was dead, and she would never ever insult him, or tease him, or have another freaking food fight with him, and he would never be able to properly thank her for staying with him and lying to him when he had the plague, not to mention ask her _why_...

"You did good, DiNozzo."

"It sure doesn't feel like it, Kate."

"I don't think it's supposed to," she replied with a sad smile.

"Am I supposed to feel this empty?"

"You're the only one who can answer that, Tony. But you'd better figure it out before your Psych Eval."

Tony's eyes widened, before he slumped with a groan. "I'd almost forgotten. Can't I just talk to Ducky instead of a department shrink?"

"An excellent proposition, my dear boy." The new voice startled both of them and Tony found himself tumbling back over the headstone before he could recover with a yelp of surprise.

"Jeez, Ducky, hasn't knowing Gibbs for so long taught you not to sneak up on people like that?" Tony griped as he stood, one hand clamped firmly over his heart.

"I'm sorry, Tony, I thought you'd heard me."

"How'd you find out about this place?" the younger man asked as he stood beside the aging ME.

"Jethro, of course." Tony huffed a little; the realization that he really didn't have any secrets from his boss was a little galling. Ducky shone a flashlight on the headstone and silently read the inscription. "It's quite perfect, Tony."

"Yeah, I thought so, too."

"So, the Director has agreed to waive an evaluation with a department psychologist as long as you talk to me. Judging by your earlier comment, you are in agreement?"

"Absolutely."

"Excellent. Shall we begin?"

"Um, can you just give me a few more minutes, Ducky?"

"Of course, of course, Tony. I'll just wait out in the parking lot, shall I?"

"Thanks, Ducky."

Ducky patted Tony's shoulder and moved away, the beam of his flashlight bouncing off the gravestones. Tony turned to his impishly grinning guardian and shook his head with amazement. "You're good."

She teasingly buffed her nails on her shirt. "I know."

"How'd you know?"

She morphed into the naughty schoolgirl outfit she originally appeared to him in. "I always know what you're thinking."

Tony expression turned sad as he looked at her. "God, I could use a hug right now."

Before his very eyes, Kate seemed to solidify and then she wrapped him in her arms, a blanket of unconditional warmth and peace. "I love you, Tony," she whispered into his ear.

Tony buried his face in her neck, letting the warmth of her aura fill the empty spaces in his soul. "I love you, too, Kate."

She slowly rocked him back and forth for several minutes as he examined his chaotic emotions and sorted them one-by-one. Finally, he pulled back and she wiped away the single tear the glistened on his cheek. "You really will be all right, Tony." He nodded and reluctantly allowed her out of his embrace. "Now, go on, before he sends out a search party."

Tony let out a long breath and watched as she lost her corporeality and returned to her original translucency even as she sat back on the headstone. "Thanks, Kate."

"I've always got your six, Tony."

And she did.

**FIN**

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Please review. Flames will be used to melt the ice gathering beneath our broken drainpipe on the inclined front walkway. /grin/ 


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